WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE NEWBORN KING?
MATTHEW 2:1-2, 11
INTRODUCTION: With the proclamation of the wise men, “Where is he that is born the king of the Jews?”, all the prophecies of the coming Messiah were brought to mind in the nation of Israel. From the first declaration of a coming deliverer to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15 the hearts of men looked longingly for the Promised One. Each looked for something different in the Messiah. When Christ was born in Bethlehem Israel did not receive what they were looking for from the newborn King but they had the opportunity to receive far more.
I. Consider for a moment what Israel was looking for in the Newborn King.
A. As the nation of Israel looked forward to the coming of the Messiah they were filled with hopes and expectations, as they were familiar with the many Old Testament prophecies concerning Him and His kingdom.
B. They looked for One Who would RESTORE the kingdom of David in its entire splendor.
1. In 2 Samuel 7:16 God promised David, “And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."
2. Isaiah 11:1-5 “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
3. Isaiah 9:6-7 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
4. Isaiah 16:5 “In mercy the throne will be established; And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness."
C. They looked for One who would OVERTHROW & DEFEAT the Roman Occupation and Oppressors.
1. Isaiah 49:8-9 “Thus says the Lord: "In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; That You may say to the prisoners, ’Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ’Show yourselves.’ "They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.”
2. Christ declared Himself to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Luke 4:18 when He said, “"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
D. They looked for One Who would ESTABLISH peace & prosperity in Israel.
1. Isaiah 14:7 “The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing.
2. Isaiah 11:6-10 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious."
3. Zechariah 9:9-10 “"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ’from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’*
E. But how could this little child born of a peasant woman ever provide these things. The Problem was they had a complete misunderstanding of the Messiah’s primary mission. They failed to comprehend the truth that Christ Himself declared in John 18:36 when He said that His “Kingdom was not of this world.” They failed to see the treasures the newborn King offers.
II. Consider what the Newborn King offers.
A. Christ offers to RESTORE life to the lifeless.
1. A young artist had toiled and struggled in his work upon a piece of statuary, until at last the block of marble which held his thoughts imprisoned had given way to the statue of an angel which appeared quite perfect to the beholder. The young artist wished the criticism of those of greater renown than himself, so he sent an invitation to Michael Angelo among others. The young artist had hidden himself behind a screen, and wanted to hear the criticism of his friends without being seen. When Angelo came to look the work over most carefully he was heard to say to one of his friends standing near: "It lacks one thing." The poor artist was well nigh brokenhearted as he heard this criticism. He hurried away from his studio and refused either to eat or to sleep, and at last one of his friends made his way into Angelo’s presence to ask what it was that the statue lacked. "Man," said Angelo, "it lacks only life. If it had only life, it would have been perfect as God Himself could have made it." This is the picture of the man who is without Christ. He has many things to commend himself to the world; his disposition may be good, and his character may be beautiful, but if he lacks eternal life, he lacks everything. --J. Wilbur Chapman
2. Ephesians 2:1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
3. John 11:25-26a “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die…”
4. John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”
B. Christ offers the OVERTHROW & DEFEAT of Satan & sin.
1. Hebrews 2:14 “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,”
2. 1 John 3:8b “…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil”
3. At the close of an important speech to Congress on January 6, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt shared his vision of the kind of world he wanted to see after the war in Europe was over. He spoke of four basic freedoms, which should be enjoyed by all people: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Of course, World War II exploded far beyond Europe, and the world never achieved Roosevelt’s ideal. Even if it did, however, we should still desperately need another freedom the president didn’t mention: freedom from ourselves and the tyranny of our sinful nature.
4. John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
C. Christ offers to ESTABLISH peace with God.
1. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have* peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2. A young man who went to a minister of Christ in great distress about his spiritual condition. He said to the minister, "Sir, can you tell me what I must do to find peace?" The minister replied, "Young man, you are too late." "Oh!" said the young man, "you don’t mean to say I am too late to be saved?" "Oh, no," was the reply, "but you are too late to do anything. Jesus did every thing that needed to be done twenty centuries ago." --The Wonderful Word
3. Ephesians 2:13-19 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God
4. Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
CONCLUSION: What are you looking for today? Significance… Acceptance… Peace… A meaningful life… Love… Victory over those things that drag you down? Jesus Christ stands before you today as King of Kings and Lord of Lords with outstretched arms and offers you more than you could ever expect or hope for if you will but yield to Him as your Lord and Savior.
